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Boustany edging closer to Senate run?

Boustany spoke with political supporters at a private gathering June 22 in Lafayette, indicating that if Vitter won the governor’s race this autumn, Boustany would put himself into position to compete for the S

Boustany edging closer to Senate run?

U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany may be edging ever closer to a 2016 run for the U.S. Senate.

But his candidacy next year will likely depend on a number of circumstances this year, not the least of which is a successful run for governor by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, who holds the seat for which Boustany may compete.

“We’re not going to get ahead of the governor’s race,” Boustany told supporters recently. “That has to play out; we’ll see how it goes. But the fact is, you cannot wait to make plans.”

Boustany spoke with political supporters at a private gathering June 22 in Lafayette, indicating that if Vitter won the governor’s race this autumn, Boustany would put himself into position to compete for the Senate seat Vitter would vacate. In fact, Vitter as governor could appoint Boustany to the vacant seat, although Boustany would have to run in 2016.

Both Boustany, the senior member of the House delegation from Louisiana, and U.S. Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, have expressed interest in the Senate seat if Vitter is elected governor in the October 2015 or the November run-off elections. So has State Treasurer John N. Kennedy.

Boustany and Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel endorsed Vitter’s bid for governor April 1 in a meeting in the Oil Center. Kennedy has also endorsed Vitter.

Boustany has also toured the state, meeting with his potential supporters around Louisiana, his office confirmed Monday. He has met with supporters in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Houma/Thibodaux, Alexandria, Ruston and Shreveport, according to his Facebook page.

The National Journal on Monday quoted Donna Pelletier, president of the Republican Women’s Club in Acadiana, who said Boustany revealed his intentions for 2016 at a meeting with 250 supporters.

Boustany confirmed in the National Journal article that he raised $700,000 in the second quarter of 2015 and $657,000 in the first quarter for a congressional race in which he has no announced opposition.

Speaking recently to supporters in Lafayette, Boustany said he was getting “tremendous encouragement” to consider the Senate run. Boustany never announced he would run for Senate, but said:

“We’re going to need leadership as turnover is occurring in Louisiana politics. Leadership that can pull our delegation together, help get unprecedented coordination from our federal delegation at the state and local level and deliver for you and continue Louisiana’s path to greatness in driving this country’s economy.

“I want to be part of that. I want to do it in a place where I can be most effective.”

Among those at the June 22 meeting was Justin Brasell of Triumph Campaigns in Jackson, Miss. Boustany has hired Brasell, who guided the successful Senate campaign for Tom Cotton in Arkansas. The National Journal reported he also managed Senate campaigns for Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and John Thune, R-South Dakota.